Carol-Ann Benn, Fellow of the College of Surgeons of South Africa, shared on LinkedIn:
“Investing in breast cancer care is an investment in Africa’s future
A breast cancer diagnosis can change the course of a woman’s life. But across Africa, what happens after that diagnosis depends heavily on where she lives and whether the health system around her can provide the care she needs.
Only 39% of women survive 5 years after diagnosis, compared with almost 90% in high-income countries.
As a breast surgeon, I witness the consequences of this every day, and they extend far beyond the health system.
When women are unable to get the care they need, there is a cost to their wellbeing, their families, their livelihoods and the wider community and economy. A WifOR analysis found that breast cancer costs African countries US$10.3 billion in productivity losses.
Behind that number are women who are caregivers, business owners, and professionals, whose absence is felt deeply in their communities and economies.
To combat this, we need to think about the entire pathway of care and where relatively simple interventions could make a difference. One recent study in Germany found that integrating AI in a nationwide breast cancer screening programme increased the cancer detection rate by 17.6%.
Remarkably, it did this without raising the recall rate – the percentage of healthy women called back for stressful, unnecessary follow-up tests.
These are the kinds of technologies I am passionate about exploring, working with manufacturers and other partners to understand how these can be deployed, alongside the training and clinical pathways required to use them effectively.
This is where the Africa Breast Cancer Council can play an important role. We have an opportunity to share what is working across different countries, learn from each other and take those lessons back to our national governments to help shape where investment is needed most.”
You can also read: Regional Africa Best of St. Gallen Breast Cancer Conference 2026 Brings Leading Breast Cancer Experts to Cairo.
